June gloom is ending and it’s time to bring the grill out. You can find open grills at parks, campgrounds, beaches and maybe in your own backyard. As a born and raised Santa Barbara local, I have come to LOVE the breeze of a summer evening and fresh veggies warm and straight off the grill. Last summer my husband, Aaron, and I were lucky enough to have been bequeathed my family’s old grill. Thanks mom! Last weekend we tried grilled summer squash and onions with our sausages, rainbow chard wrapped in foil and tossed on the grill, and flash grilled peaches with ice cream. What will you make for your Fourth of July barbeque?

Many are traveling this summer or taking long weekends with friends and family and I want to encourage you to share your produce with friends, coworkers, and neighbors. If you are going to miss your pick up day, giving your week’s worth of produce to someone who may not get to experience the bounty of Fairview every week. This is not only a great way to spread the word about our CSA program, but it is also helpful to keep our harvest numbers regular and consistent for the farmers.

Although we have transitioned away from buying bags (we reuse paper bags for CSA and the Farm Stand) we still go through at least 12 rolls of plastic bags a week. I want to encourage CSA members to reuse your produce bags. Save, shake out, wash if needed, dry, and bring back for next week’s produce. We can make changes, one plastic bag at a time. Thanks for your support this summer and look for beautiful sunflowers to add to your dinner table in the Farm Stand.

I’m looking forward to tomatoes and hope you are too!

Jen

SNEAK PEEK (don’t forget to scroll down for recipes)

Small Share:

Carrots

Lettuce

Peaches

Basil

Avocados

Beets

French Beans

Large Share:

Carrots

Lettuce

Strawberries

Squash

Peaches

Cucumbers

Beets

Avocados

Radish

Basil

French Beans

RECIPES AND IDEAS: I always drizzle my veggies and fruit with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper before putting them on the grill. This helps bring out the flavor and keeps things from sticking.

Avocados: Try cutting in half and grilling with tomatillos, poblano peppers, onion, garlic and jalapeños. To make a salsa blend grilled veggies with a little olive oil and cilantro.

Peaches: Turn the heat on your grill high and place fleshy side down for a few minutes until there are grill marks and the sugars begin to caramelize. Serve with ice cream (my favorite), or grilled pound cake, or both!

Carrots: Parboil your carrots to partially cook them and then finish them off on the grill. You will be amazed how the high head brings out the sweetness of the carrots.

Squash: Cut in half and place right on the grill. Place diagonal on the grill for a diamond grill mark pattern.

Basil: Pizza on the grill is fabulous. The crust is crispy and the top gets some good grill flavor. I like adding basil at the end, so it is a little burnt on the edges when you bite into the crust and melted cheese.

Leftover Savory? Dry it, take the leaves off the stem, put it in a jar, and pull out when you are cooking for an earthy lemony flare.

Directions

I hope you all enjoyed a beautiful Summer Solstice weekend. Our strawberries and peaches have been enjoying the warm weather and are being harvested regularly. If you run out of strawberries during the week, feel free to stop by the Farm Stand to restock your sweet supply. I realized that some of you may not notice the recipes at the bottom of these emails. Please scroll down past the sneak peak for ideas of how to use your produce for the week. This week I wanted to share a poem by Wendell Berry (A timbered Choir: Sabbath Poems 1979-1999).

Whatever is foreseen in joy

Must be lived out from day to day.

Vision held open in the dark

By our ten thousand days of work.

Harvest will fill the barn; for that

The hand must ache, the face must sweat.

And yet no leaf or grain is filled

By work of ours; the field is tilled

And left to grace. That we may reap

Great work is done while we are asleep.

When we work well, a Sabbath mood

Rests on our day, and finds it good.

Each day I am to be grateful be a part of this farm and the people who work long hours caring for our land and feeding our community. As you enjoy your produce please remember those who work in the field to cultivate our amazing produce.

As summer begins so does Fairview Farm Camp. Children arrived this morning and their laughter and joy filled the fields. Though many of you may already know Marla Witcher who helps distribute CSA on Thursdays and works at our Saturday Farmer’s Market, I asked her to introduce herself to you as our new Summer Farm Camp Coordinator.

Here is a note of introduction from Marla:

I hope you all are enjoying the first of the summer season at Fairview Gardens. I love this little farm, and I am very happy to be back after nearly two years away tending to my 2 year-old daughter, Ruby. You are most likely to see me on Thursdays helping with CSA distribution. I really enjoy being a part of this community, and I want to help share your ideas with others at the farm to make this community supported agriculture very successful.

If you have children between the ages of 4-15, I might get the opportunity to work (and play) with them this summer. I am coordinating the summer farm camp at Fairview Gardens with Casey Duncan. Farm camp begins this week, June 22. We are looking forward to a great time. We have a number of camps open this summer. Please contact the office for details.

Be sure to slice your potatoes as thin as possible. They get all melty and creamy. Slice them too thick and you’ll have trouble cooking them through because the zucchini cooks up more quickly. I use a box grater to shred the cheese here (as opposed to a micro-plane) – you get heartier, less whispy pieces of cheese which is what you want here. I’d also strongly recommend homemade bread crumbs here (see asterisk below).

Preheat oven to 400F degrees and place a rack in the middle. Rub a 9×9 gratin pan (or equivalent baking dish) with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with lemon zest, and set aside.

Place the zucchini slices into a colander placed over a sink, toss with the sea salt and set aside for 10-15 minutes (to drain a bit) and go on to prepare the oregano sauce and bread crumbs.

Make the sauce by pureeing the oregano, parsley, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, red pepper flakes, and olive oil in a food processor or using a hand blender. Set aside.

Make the breadcrumbs by melting the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for a few minutes until the butter is wonderfully fragrant, and has turned brown. Wait two minutes, then stir the breadcrumbs into the browned butter.

Transfer the squash to a large mixing bowl. Add the potatoes and two-thirds of the oregano sauce. Toss until everything is well coated. Add the cheese and half of the bread crumbs and toss again. Taste one of the zucchini pieces and add more seasoning (salt or red pepper) if needed.

Transfer the squash to the lemon-zested pan, top with the remaining crumbs, and bake for somewhere between 40 and 50 minutes – it will really depend on how thinly you sliced the squash and potatoes – and how much moisture was still in them. You don’t want the zucchini to go to mush, but you need to be sure the potatoes are fully baked. If the breadcrumbs start to get a little dark, take a fork and rake them just a bit, that will uncover some of the blonder bits. Remove from oven, and drizzle with the remaining oregano sauce.

Serves about 8 as a side.

*To make breadcrumbs cut the crust off 2-3 day old artisan bread. Tear into pieces the size of your thumb, and give a quick whirl in the food processor. I don’t like my breadcrumbs too fine – and tend to leave the pieces on the large size – more like little pebbles than grains of sand.

Orange Curry Carrots

(from Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt On Vegetables: Seasonal Recipes and Stories from a Community Supported Farm by Farmer John Peterson & Angelic Organics)

This dish is a nice accompaniment to a chicken curry; it’s a fine side at a luncheon of sandwiches and makes a simple vegetarian meal on its own over a helping of basmati rice. Don’t be shy adding the banana—that’s what makes this dish unique and delicious.

Bring the orange juice and water to a boil in a medium pot. Add the carrots and reduce the heat to a simmer; cook, uncovered, until barely tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in the raisins and remove the pot from heat; let stand.

Melt the ghee or butter in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Add the curry powder, turmeric, and cardamom seeds; cook, stirring constantly, just until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour into the skillet and stir constantly until a smooth paste forms. Remove from heat.

Drain the carrots and raisins, reserving the orange liquid. Add about half of the liquid to the curry powder mixture in the skillet, return the skillet to medium heat, and stir to combine. When the sauce thickens nicely, slowly add in the rest of the liquid, and then stir in the mashed banana. Add the carrots and raisins and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately

Peach Pie

(from Chez Panisse Fruit by Alice Waters)

2 ½ pounds of peaches peeled and sliced (about 6 cups)

3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 pinch salt

¼ cup sugar plus more for sprinkling

1 tablespoon unsalted butter cut in thin slices

Two 9-ounce pieces pie dough

1 tablespoon heavy cream or milk

Toss the sliced peaches in a large bowl with the tapioca, lemon juice, salt, sugar, and butter. Cover fruit mixture with a sheet of plastic wrap pressed against its surface (this prevents the fruit from oxidizing and discoloring). Let stand for 30 minutes so that the peaches release their juice, plumping tapioca and dissolving the sugar.

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Roll out each piece of pie dough into a 13-inch circle, 1/8 inch thick. Line a pie plate with the first piece, letting the edges hang over. Pour the fruit mixture into the dough-lined plate. Cover with the second piece of dough. Using a small knife or scissors, trim the edges of the dough so that there is a ¾ inch overhang. To seal the pie, neatly fold up the overhang dough so that it rests on the rim of the pie plate and pinch a wavy scalloped edge all around the pie by making indentations in the crust with your thumb and fingers. Roll out the scraps, cut our pretty decorations, and stick them to the top of the pie with a dab of water. Poke a few holes in the top of the pie to let the steam escape during backing. Lightly brush the pie with cream and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake in the lower third of the oven until the top of the pie is golden brown and the thick juices bubble from the holes, about 1 hour. Let the pie cool on a rack from 1 hour. Serve with vanilla ice cream or vanilla flavored sweetened whipped cream.

This weekend we will experience the longest day of the year and also the shortest night. The sun is shining brightly today, after many weeks of fog and we are looking forward to the big season to come. The tomatoes have a slight tint of red, the pepper plants will soon send out flowers and the sunflowers stand proud as they welcome the community to the farm. As we are busy preparing the land, we are also very occupied with changes taking place on our staff.

This little farm is experiencing many of the financial realties of our current times. It is true that our country spend less of its disposable income on food than any other country in the world. Often times, fancy shoes, deluxe cars and exotic vacations take priority over the food that nourishes us daily. As the price of diesel fluctuates and seed costs increase, as drip tape sky rockets and other general supplies go through the roof, few people are willing to pay another $.25 for a head of lettuce. It seems that each year it is more expensive to farm, but the price of produce changes very little.

In short, our farm is experiencing very challenging times. After months of developing more efficient systems and cleaning up areas of our operation that were a little dusty, we are in need of still larger changes. We can all be a little worried as to why a small community farm, one that sustains so much of our beautiful community is in a position of seeing many of its management personnel move on to other opportunities. Although we are saddened to see some of our friends move on, we believe the transition taking place is necessary and one that will lead the farm towards greater economic viability.

Tynes Viar, Development Director, is taking on a very exciting project with Backyard Harvest. He will be harvesting fruit from yards that would have otherwise have gone uneaten and getting it into the peoples mouths that need it most. If you have a fruit tree/s that you would like to donate to a great cause, please contact Backyard Harvest.

Tiffany Cooper, Education Director/Acting Executive Director, is taking her vast knowledge about food production to an area that will really benefit the kitchen. Soon, she will begin Culinary School in Boulder, Colorado. So few chefs have the understanding around food that Tiffany possesses and she will surely continue educating other communities about their food choices. You may have attended one of the cooking classes organized by Tiffany and we look forward to the day when Tiffany will return to lead one of these classes.

Matthew Logan, Administrative Director, has experienced many seasons at Fairview Gardens. For over a decade, he has brought great knowledge of farm administration to our organization. As a young farmer, Matthew has taught me so much about farming that no farmer ever could have. I am very grateful for all the information he has passed along to me and for his addition in making me a better-rounded farmer.

Change is necessary; it’s scary and exciting all at the same time. We surrender to this experience and are thankful for all the lessons we learn along the way.

Enjoy your week, have fun and live free!

Sincerely,

Toby McPartland, Farm Manager

SNEAK PEAK:

Small Share

Carrots

Lettuce

Squash

Green beans

Kale

Spinach

Oregano/Savory

Strawberries

Large Share

Carrots

Lettuce

Strawberries

Squash

Green Beans

Spinach

Kale

Oregano/Savory

Basil

Lemons

Beets

Turnips

Arugula

RECIPIES: I have decided my email newsletters are a great way to share CSA member recipes. If you have anything great that you have made with our produce, email it to me and I will pass it on. Another great way we can share with our community. Thanks, jen corey

Filipino Stew (from CSA member Jon Getty)
Source: A Russian housepainter, 1930’s
Serves: 4-6
Cook’s Notes [from my mother in law]: For a few years, before the war, my father worked as a professional painter & wallpaperer, assisting a fellow of Russian descent in these endeavors, which took them to the houses of Hollywood’s elite. The Russian was a little erratic in producing paychecks, but made up for this (to an extent) by cooking beautiful feasts for my parents occasionally. This is one of his recipes, and a perfect one it is: very few ingredients, fast to put together, and a complete meal along with some good bread. Oh, and by the way: we have no idea why it’s called Filipino Stew.

Melt 2 T. butter in a large skillet. Sauté leeks until almost tender. Remove. Brown the steak cubes in the skillet. Add the leeks and a small amount of water (just enough to keep it from sticking). Cook about 5 minutes. Add the diced squash, spreading it over the top of the steak and leeks. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, until the squash is barely tender. Spread the diced tomatoes over the squash, cover and cook another 5 minutes. Serve with some good bread.

I hope last week’s share was enjoyed thoroughly. I wanted to give you a farm update this week about our new flock of hens. Four weeks ago we purchased 60 one-day old chicks (Sex-linked and Americana) from Island Seed and Feed. They have been gently raised, held, and cared for by the Seedlings Preschoolers at Lia Grippo’s home. We are so thankful for their love and care for our flock and couldn’t have done it without all their little hands. One medium size cardboard box grew to a large cardboard box and their current space is about the size of a chicken condo. They outgrew their box at the Grippo home and moved back to the farm last week. Their growth and maturity feels exponential as I watch these little ladies first learn how to run, then jump, and now as their adult feathers come in, fly. Our flock is currently chirping under the warmth of their heat lamps in the living room of the farm house. They are happy, well fed and will be joining the current flock in a few weeks. We are excited when they start laying in five months and look forward to having more Fairview organic cage free eggs for you next summer.

If you ever thinking about raising your own chickens, I suggest reading to Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens and talking to Alex at Island Seed and feed.

Thank you for those who realized I didn’t mention a time for our CSA potluck on June 20th. It will start at 12noon, but feel free to stop by any time for a few hours or just 20 minutes. We are look forward to being together. Also, I realize that a few of you did not receive last week’s email or do not receive emails at all. I wanted to let you know that I will print a few copies of emails which will be available during pick and will also keep a binder of all CSA emails so that you can reference if needed.

Thank you for helping each week run smoothly and for your constant support of the farm. A special thanks to Naomi Schwartz and Garrett Johnson for volunteering last week.

Jen Corey

See below for your sneak peak and a few recipes for this week (just keep on scrolling):

Mix together eggs and milk. Add squash, herbs and shallots. Then mix in the cheese. Add slowly the bread crumbs and flour and mix well. In a large, heavy, non-stick skillet, melt 1T butter until it starts to brown. Spoon about 1/4C of mixture into the pan and flatten a bit with the spoon. You might be able to fit 2 pancakes into the same pan at once. When the edges show a little browning turn with a spatula. Cook the other side until it is also golden brown. Keep pancakes warm in the oven until they are all cooked.

1 large shallot, peeled and sliced paper thin (pick it up at the farm stand)

1 large lemon (pick it up at the farm stand)

2 teaspoons sesame oil

salt and pepper to taste

Slice potatoes into quarters, place them in a pot, cover with cold water and bring to boil over high heat. Cook an additional 4 minutes. Drain and place them, cut sides up, on a towel to dry.

Coat a large frying pan with a thin layer of oil and place over high heat. When the oil becomes fragrant, put beans in one layer in pan. Sear on one side for three minutes. Do not turn. Place in bowl and repeat with remaining batches until all are cooked. Place potatoes, cut sides down, in a large frying pan with a thick layer of olive oil. Fry over medium-low heat for 20 minutes; do not turn over. In a dry pan roast the sesame seeds over low heat, being careful not to burn them. Add seeds, sliced shallot, lemon juice, sesame oil, salt, pepper, and a tablespoon of olive oil (more to taste) to beans. Add potatoes and toss. Serve at room temperature. Makes 8 servings.

1/2 cup loosely packed chopped scallions, white and green parts (pick up bunching onions a the stand, or you can use chopped red onion)

Salt and pepper

Several medium to large Swiss chard leaves for making wraps or in place of lettuce on sandwiches (optional)

This flavorful twist on classic tuna salad uses chopped Swiss chard stems in place of celery and a few chopped chard leaves for extra green goodness. Combine mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar and olive brine in a small bowl and mix well. Stir in tuna, chopped Swiss chard stems and leaves, parsley, and scallions. Salt and pepper to taste. If you have a chance, mix up your tuna salad and let it sit in the refrigerator at least a few hours before serving; it’ll be even tastier. Put it on sandwiches, stuff it into pita bread pockets or spread it on crackers. If desired, spread out extra chard leaves, spoon tuna salad along the lower edges, then roll up to make low-carb wraps. Tuna salad will keep for three days in the refrigerator. Serves 2 to 4.

I wanted to thank you for being a part of our Summer CSA season. We are looking forward to a bountiful harvest of melt in your mouth peaches, crisp cucumbers, and warm from the sun heirloom tomatoes. For those of you who do not know, Fairview Gardens is in the middle of many changes and we are grateful for your support more than ever. We are busy with a construction project and a July 1st deadline and also experiencing changes on our staff. We hope you are patient as we adjust to this restructuring.

As the season begins, I wanted to introduce myself as someone that you can contact with questions, concerns, and suggestions. I will be your new contact for CSA and am also the Farm Stand Manager. My name is Jen Corey. I grew up in Santa Barbara, left for four years to study sociology at Wheaton College outside of Chicago, and then quickly moved back to the town I love. As a Japanese American I was raised to value family and good food and the two were never separated. My grandfather was born and raised on a farm in Hilo and continued to grow produce throughout his life (my favorites were his homegrown tomatoes, green beans, and Japanese cucumbers). He and my grandma moved to Santa Barbara to live with my family and I remember his many lessons about how to pick the fruit or vegetable that was “just right.” We called him the Green Grocer because he worked in produce for the wholesale Chinese markets of Los Angeles. I decided to follow in his footsteps and join an urban farming community, dedicating my time to bringing you the best, locally grown organic produce around.

As the Summer CSA begins I wanted to let you know of a few changes that will be affecting you. Due to our staffing changes, price of copies and amount of paper used, we are no longer offering a formatted hardcopy newsletter. Instead, you will receive a sneak peak, recipes, and farm updates though your email each Monday. For those who do not have email access we will have a notebook of printed out emails so that you can write down recipes and read about the farm when coming to pick up your share. We hope that you understand our current limited staffing resources and our need to cut back this part of our program

Toby and I are happy to announce that we will be having a CSA Summer potluck on June 20th. We hope that you will attend this great opportunity to get to know others in our CSA community as well as the rest of the Fairview Gardens staff. We ask that Tuesday pick up members bring a main dish or a salad and that Thursday pick up members bring a side dish or a dessert. Fairview will provide beverages. It is important that EVERY CSA MEMBER bring their own plate, utensils, cup, cloth napkin, and a set to share with someone who forgot. There is no need to RSVP or let us know what you are bringing. We are excited for this opportunity to bring our community together. Bring your kids, meet us at the farmhouse, and hope for a sunny day.

Since I am often out and about around the farm, the best way to contact me is through email, jen@fairviewgardens.org. You can also try me at the office and if I am not there leave me a message at 805.967.7369. Thank you for your feedback and your ongoing support.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Emiko Higa Corey

SNEAK PEAK

Small Share

Carrots

Lettuce

Strawberries

Beets

Spinach

Kohlrabi

Green beans

Peaches or Nectarines

Large Share

Carrots

Lettuce

Strawberries

Arugula

Beets

Peaches or nectarines

Squash

Spinach

Green Beans

Kohlrabi

RECIPES:

Marinated Green Beans

Prepare the green beans by snapping off the stem end. Serve immediately or chilled

1 tsp. minced red onion (can use shallots, bunching onion… all sold at the Farm Stand)

Pinch of salt

Salad:

6 cups spinach

2 cups sliced strawberries

Handful of slivered almonds, toasted (careful not to toast these guys too long)

Goat cheese (log, sliced)

Baguette, sliced and toasted (if you’re lucky you can snag one from D’Angelos sold at the Farm Stand)

Shake Dressing in a tightly sealed jar and toss gently with spinach, strawberries and almonds. Serve with goat cheese spread on toasted baguette.

Stir-Fried Kohlrabi

3 kohlrabi

3 medium carrots

4 Tbs. peanut oil

3 cloves garlic (garlic and green garlic sold at the Farm Stand), peeled and thinly sliced

1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

3 green onions (bunched onions sold at the Farm Stand)

1-2 fresh chili peppers, sliced

Salt to taste

4 Tbs. oyster sauce, optional (can also use Tamari or Yoshida Sauce)

Slice kohlrabi and carrots diagonally into thin, elongated ovals. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet; when it begins to smoke toss in garlic and ginger. Stir once and add kohlrabi and carrots toss and cook for 2 minutes. Add green onions and chilies; cook for 1 minute, then pour in 1/2-cup water. Cover and reduce heat, letting simmer for 5 minutes. Remove cover, toss in salt to taste and oyster sauce and serve.